Fabrics & Furnishings International - Spring 2007 Issue by Fabrics & Furnishings International

F&FI Spring-rebuild #1

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NEW APPOINTMENT

OFF TO THE RACES

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Sue Huff, formerly of Arc-Com Fabrics takes on her new position of vice president and GM of Knoll Textiles.

Trade Link Company’s Bill Davis takes his Ascot Interiors Meeting to The Royal Ascot Racecourse this Sept.

Ron Kaufmann celebrates 50 years of P/Kaufmann and looks back on the company started by his father, Peter.

See page 10

See page 12

See page 20

The Global Home & Contract Furnishings Newspaper • www.sipco.net

Vol. 17, No. 2

Spring 2007

Shuford’s Davis Embraces Outdura®’s Growing Business Packaged Goods Pro Turns Talents to Outdoor Textiles by Eric Schneider

UDSON, North Carolina — Shuford Mills’ Outdura brand has grown 35 percent annually each of the last three years with sales in the $30 million range in 2006, according to CP Davis, CEO since last June of this STM Industries division. Fabrics & Furnishings International estimates that 82

CP Davis

million yards of solution-dyed acrylic fabrics are produced annually in Europe and the USA. That makes this about an $800 million business at mill cost if you consider the average price of acrylic fabric sold is $7 a yard. “We now have goals in the $50$75 million range for this business,” Davis said. In moving the business forward, Davis has the backing of Jim Shuford, STM president and Stephen Shuford, executive vice president. (A different branch of the Shuford family owns Century

Epengle Rides Transportation Business to New Heights Yarn-Dyed Trevira turnover of $22 million reach $30 million by 2009. “We aren’t too CS Line to Debut far. If we go at the speed we have now, I’m sure we will make it,” he at Scoperta 2007 by AnnMarie Marano

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STANBUL, Turkey — Epengle Tekstil can boast a more than 50 percent growth in the past seven years, doubling their export business from approximately $3.5 million to around $8 million. Export manager Levent Dogan says that the company would like to see their current

said. He himself is shooting for taking the company to the number one spot in the world for the manufacturing of transportation fabrics in the next three to four years. They recently purchased four more looms just for transportation velvets. “It will increase the capacity by 250,000 meters again, just with the transportation busi-

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Valdese Expands U.S. Production VALDESE, North Carolina — Valdese Weavers Inc. will invest $19.3 million in a newly acquired 198,000-square-foot factory purchased (Continued on page 23) from Carolina Mills, a yarn manufacturer

by AnnMarie Marano

P Levent Dogan ness.” Transportation fabrics account for approximately half of their business and Epengle produces approximately 1.1 million meters a year for their transportation business alone. Their total (Continued on page 30)

Contract/HospitalityNews Give You

Furniture and Valdese Weavers.) “When I first met the Shufords, I was a customer, buying tape from the Shurtape division of STM Industries.” At that time, Davis was with Evercare Corp., a competitor to 3M in the duct tape

Maison & Objet Gains Ground, Draws Top Editeurs to Paris

• L i g h t i n g • Te x t i l e s • Furniture • Hardware The Only Newspaper for the Specifier • Floor Covering

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ARIS, France — Some of the industry’s top textile editeurs are saying that Maison & Objet has, for them, surpassed other major shows such as Heimtextil, becoming the premiere exhibition opportunity for their new collections. “The situation for interior fabrics, as far as exhibitions are concerned, has changed dramatically during the past two or three years,” said Christian Fischbacher, president of Christian Fischbacher Co., AG. “Not so long ago, Heimtex was the main European fair for interior fabrics.

It probably still is for most of the industry. The upper market level, however, has deserted Heimtex and now shows at Maison & Objet in Paris. This is true for France,

Amalfi by Christian Fischbacher

Not Just

Fabric.

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EDGAR FABRICS INC.

Available for viewing at the following showrooms:

General Offices: 50 Commerce Drive l P.O. Box 13186 Hauppauge, NY 11788 USA Telephone: 631-435-8989 Telefax: 631-435-9151 E-mail: edgarfabrics@aol.com

New York Showroom 230 Fifth Avenue, Suite 1400 New York, NY 10016 USA Telephone: 212-686-2952 Telefax: 212-779-0354

Market Squre Tower 317 High Street, Sixth Floor High Point, N.C. 27261 USA Telephone: 336-889-4217 Telefax: 336-889-4218

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E D G A R FAB R ICS

Come See Us At: Hospitality Design/Stand #1962 Sands Expo Center Las Vegas, Nev. USA May 10-12, 2007

International Home Furnishings Market High Point, N.C. USA March 26-April 1, 2006

II Grand Hotel Como, Italy Sala Pizzo (During Proposte) May 9-11, 2007

Showtime High Point, N.C. USA June 3-6, 2007

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Expect more from the two-in-one company. That’s right, you can now expect even more from us at Escolys. And even we are surprised by how quickly we’re moving. Last December, we teamed up with De Poortere Frères, one of the largest velvet weavers in the world. In addition to its vast weaving capacity, DPF has an integrated dyeing facility that is adapted to velvets, specifically. DPF remains an independent company from Escolys, but both companies will profit from synergies and reinforce each other. De Poortere velvets are made mainly out of polyester but they possess the luxurious look and feel of viscose velvet, and the cleanliness of cotton velvet with all the technical benefits of stain-repellent treated, easy-to-clean and hard wearing polyester—not to mention the price! In January, we were joined by Bekaert Decoration Textiles, known for their SAINT-HUBERT curtain division and Bekaert Wall Textiles. These activities will be integrated within Escolys, which means a major step towards our two-in-one strategy. Curtain collections will soon become as important as upholstery collections. Escolys will further develop the unique room-height wall textiles, and the classical Trento line for which SAINT-HUBERT is world famous. Contract activities will be greatly expanded as a result. We are quickly moving toward our strategic objective to ship on a one piece basis within just a few days and support all our ranges with made to order sample books. Please come visit us during Proposte, in Ala Regina, where you will find both De Poortere and the combined presence of Escolys and SAINT-HUBERT.

See you there!

The two-in-one company

Escolys Textiles • Belgium • www.escolys.com

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F& FI L E T T E R S

The Textile Biz Leads to Some Interesting Hobbies... Dear Eric,

s we spoke in Belgium I have done many things in my life and there is a lot more I would like to do. From a U.S. Marine in the 60s and 70s, to building and flying remote control airplanes in the 80s. Then there was sport fishing in the 90s. During my sport fishing days, the last fish I caught was an 892-pound mako shark that I

Sipco’s own personalized Kresel bird house have in my office. It is hanging on my wall. It was my last tournament. How can I top that? Especially having torn my left rotator cuff, I needed immediate surgery. I tore my right rotator cuff on a sales trip to Russia on black ice. From there I bought a Harley and rode like Easy Rider for a while with the little hair I had left blowing in the wind. My shoulders were never the same, so I gave up the bike and

Nader is the distributor for JAB in Dubai

started carving miniature carousel horses. It was a great time consumer on my flights from Russia and Shanghai. Even before 9/11, I really could not understand why I was allowed to carve with knives on a plane. Well, the inevitable happened. No more carving on planes. Somehow bird houses came to mind and that was the start of my current hobby. As you are aware, my houses are hanging all over the world — from Russia to Ukraine, Latvia, Germany, UK, South Africa, China to Mexico, just to name a few countries. They are gifts and I get great pleasure giving them out. My special hobby is building bird houses for famous people. There are collectors out there who send pictures to famous people in hopes of getting an autograph. I have adopted the same principal, but have turned it into a special signature bird house collection. Yes, I build custom bird houses in the theme that the person is known for. I build two at a time. One is for a signature and the other is a thank you gift for them to keep. My collection has over thirty signature houses from names such as Bruce Springsteen, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Shirley Temple Black, Ted Turner, Donald Trump, Willie Nelson, Shirley Jones, Julie Andrews, Martha Stewart, Sly Stallone, Charlie Daniels, Bob Barker, Bon Jovi, Penny Marshal to the cast of “Everybody Loves Raymond.” These are just a few of my great hobbies that take my mind off of this crazy business. Best Regards, Mark Kresel

The New Mr. & Mrs. Nader Oubari

*Mark Kresel is vice president, sales for Rockland Mills Inc.

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ADVERTISING SALES UK, BENELUX EFTA Peter Gilmore Peter Gilmore Associates 57 Keyes House Dolphin Square London SW1V 3NA U.K. Tel: 44.(0)20.7834.5559 Fax: 44.(0)20.7834.0600 E-Mail: pgilmore@sipco.net FRANCE Stéphane de Rémusat Chemin de la Bourdette 31380 Gragnague, France

Tel: 33.53.427.0130 Fax: 33.53.427.0131 E-Mail: sremusat@aol.com and lebrunrem@aol.com PORTUGAL Ana Conde Av. da Boavista, 280-4. Centro 4050-113 PORTO Portugal Tel: 351.22.607.6470 Fax: 351.22.607.6475/79 E-Mail: aconde@sipco.net CHINA Vincent Kwan Vince International Ltd. Unit 702, Kincheng Commercial Centre 412-420 Castle Peak Road Cheung Sha Wan Kowloon, Hong Kong

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TURKEY Sevim Keskinci Bati Mah. Hatboyu Cad. Bahar Apt. No. 8/21 Pendik-Istanbul Turkey Tel: 90.216.390.00.13 Fax: 90.216.390.20.27 E-Mail: skeskinci@sipco.net INDIA REHKA V. Contact: Mileage 141 Third Crasa Centro Mico Layout Bangalore 560076 India Tel: 91.80.26685821 Fax: 91.80.26684670 E-mail: mileage@sipco.net

ITALY, SPAIN, CANADA, MEXICO, S. AMERICA Adriana Michael Tel: 1-613-526-0480 1-613-620-1957 Fax: 1-613-526-6709 E-Mail: adrianamichael@rogers.com

Tel: +852 2780 2968 Fax: +852 2780 2974 E-Mail: vkwan@sipco.net

Duralee is a family owned and operated company that was founded in 1952 and has consistently offered the interior design market superior products designed to fit any style, while holding true to the ideals of excellent value and customer service. We continue to be aggressively expanding our brand, a focus that is evident with every new and creative design we introduce. Duralee moves into New Expanded Long Island, NY Showroom: In an effort to support the ever growing Long Island business, Duralee is moving its Long Island showroom from its current location at corporate headquarters to a larger facility in Syosset, NY. The showroom will be expanding from the current 1,000 square feet to almost 4,200 square feet. The new showroom will be created with the new fresh image of the company and will be a showcase for all of the Duralee product lines including Duralee fabrics, Highland Court, and Duralee Fine Furniture. Scheduled for opening in spring of 2007, the expanded showroom will feature an extensive display area for Duralee fabrics, Highland Court luxury fabrics, with dedicated areas for tassels and tiebacks, a new library area with Highland Court and Duralee sample books, and a brand new memo room. The newly expanded space will feature display vignettes of Duralee Fine Furniture enabling more customers to experience the custom fine furniture brand. Duralee Goes Bold with Domino Prints — Crisp, clean, classic. Duralee has introduced Domino Prints, an exclusive collection of black and white patterns fit for any setting. Ogees, geometrics, dancing silhouettes, and florals are revived in a daring, innovative movement toward bold design. Created for those seeking to make a graphic statement, the black and white color combination featured in Domino Prints remains simple, yet exciting. Favorite designs from the past have been re-colored and refreshed for this collection, with our designers focusing on positive and negative space for a playful adaptation. Please visit duralee.com for more information.

Spring 2007 ■ F&FI

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D E F I N I T E LY

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D U R A L E E

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Table of Contents F&FI Spring 07 | Vol. 17, No. 2 Lomangino Appointed VP of Kravet Floorcovering . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Cole & Son Backs Ascot Interiors Meeting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 GLM Global Home Textiles Show to Draw Diverse Crowd . . . . . . . . . .12 Hancock Sees Outdoor Fabric Category Heat Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Scoperta Introduces “Made in Europe” Accreditation . . . . . . . . . . .19 Hunter Douglas Unveils Skyline® Gliding Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Jules Clarysse Towels

Jules Clarysse, 1st Belgian Towel Producer to Utilize Fairtrade Cotton . . . . . .21 Coles Wallpaper Fortune Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 Wesley Mancini Unveils Valdese and Westgate Collection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

Contract/HospitalityNews HOTEL OF THE FUTURE: The Next Generation of Guestrooms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26 Lutron Announces New Products That Allow Customized Lighting Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26 CMI Unveils Nanocide™ Contract Coated Fabrics . . . . . . . . .29

Advanced Digital Textiles Uses One-of-a-Kind Machine . . . . . . . . . .30 DarrenChad Furniture Launched at High Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31 Connection Ltd. Launches Suburban™ brand . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31 Enhance a Colour Gives Techno Boost to Floors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38 Onity and Marriott Lock it Up . . . . .41 SteamSuite Hits Hotel Industry . . . .41 Hunter Douglas Acquires 3form, resin panel producer . . . . . . . . . . . .45 8

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Spring 2007 ■ F&FI

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F& FI P E O P L E Sue Huff

Huff Named VP and GM of Knoll Textiles Former Arc-Com Marketing Director Makes Move to NYC Sipco News Network

EW YORK, New York — Sue Huff was named vice president and general manager of Knoll Textiles and began her new position on Monday, Feb. 5. She previously served as the director

of marketing and options at ArcCom since 1999. “Knoll textiles has been a design leader for six decades and I am delighted to be part of such a rich and enduring history. Today, Knoll textiles continues its legacy with an unparalleled creative team under the leadership of Dorothy Cosonas,” Huff said. She has spent the majority of her career in the contract furniture industry, owning and managing a furniture dealership in New

York that was a Knoll dealer for some time. “As vice president and general manager of Knoll textiles, the company’s contract fabric division, I succeed David Schutte, who assumed the role of chief marketing officer for Knoll in

January. Reporting to Andrew Cogan, Knoll CEO, I am responsible for continuing to execute the division’s growth plans.” Huff says she plans to extend Knoll’s reputation for excellence in design into categories such as healthcare and hospitality. “As we celebrate our 60th anniversary this year, my goal is to continue to work with the leadership team to grow and expand Knoll textiles position in all segments of the market. Knoll textiles is an industry legend with an unparalleled design legacy and brand recognition.” F&FI

Lomangino Appointed VP of Kravet Floorcovering Sipco News Network

ETHPAGE, New York — Kravet has welcomed Nicholas Lomangino Sr. as vice president of Kravet Floorcovering. Lomangino said he was attracted to the position because of “the opportunity to build a product category that would share the existing large customer base and be sold on a national level by a strong and professional road and showroom sales team, supported by a focused and dedicated management structure.”

Nicholas Lomangino He also says he intends to launch broadloom product for both the Kravet and Lee Jofa brands. Lomangino reports to Kravet principal, Cary Kravet. Lomangino was previously the president and general manager of Patterson, Flynn and Martin — F. Schumacher & Co.’s carpet division. Lomangino’s position with Kravet was effective in January 2007. F&FI

Lewitas Leaves Designtex Group Sipco News Network

EW YORK, New York — Leslie Lewitas, executive vice president for product development and marketing at Designtex Group left the company on or about December 15. Kelly Thomas has since been named director of marketing after three years with the company. Prior to her career at Designtex, Thomas worked with Steelcase, its parent company. At Lewitas’ inauguration in 1989, Tom Hamilton, president of Designtex credited her with the headway Designtex made in marketing and design. It is not known at this time if she will be replaced in that position by Designtex. She reported directly to Hamilton, but he could not be reached for comment. Designtex, as a policy, does not announce departures. F&FI

www.sipco.net

Spring 2007 ■ F&FI

Dicitex decor for FFI spring

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F& FI S H O W B U S I N E S S

Cole & Son Backs Ascot Interiors Trade Link’s Bill Davis is Off to the Races Again by Eric Schneider

SCOT, United Kingdom— Trade show impresario Bill Davis is betting that high-end interiors suppliers, interior designers and better retailers will support the first running of the Ascot Interiors Meeting, Sept. 16 to 18 at The Royal Ascot Racecourse. “We will be the first exhibition to feature the reinvention of the

wallcoverings industry as a product use in concert with other decorating materials,” said Davis, principal of Trade Link Ltd., the British show organizer. “Wallpaper is part of the dressing of the room and is resurging in the high end marketplace,” he confirmed. Cole & Sons Wallpapers Ltd. has already signed up for this new event in spite of the fact there are three other high-end events in England in September; 100% Design; Chelsea Design Week and Decorex. The UK is considered to

be one of the top-end sources of interior designs, Davis says. According to Davis, the Ascot Interiors Meeting will make use of the private grandstand boxes. “These grandstand boxes feature numerous lounges with televisions, bars and food facilities for individual vendor receptions, presentations and group seminars,” he said. “Within the entrance of the Royal Ascot will be ample room for product displays and presentations.” Tara Foster recently joined Trade Link as the sales and marketing manager of this event.

She has 11 years experience in marketing with an interior design degree from Ivy House Design School in Bath to her credit. In other developments for Trade Link, Andrew Green, man-

Davis, Foster at Ascot aging director of TIP for the last three years, has resigned in order to return to his previous business as a book importer. TIP will be relaunched and renamed as Salon du Textile in September, geared for wholesalers and producers with high quality control standards, Davis maintains. “They have to pass inspection in many areas before they can be admitted to Salon du Textile,” he said, addressing previous concerns that TIP exhibitors were commodity producers. F&FI

GLM Global Home Textiles Show to Draw Diverse Crowd by Kelly Hushin

HITE PLAINS, New York — George Little Management, (GLM) LLC will soon be “bringing the world to U.S. buyers” through their Global Home Textiles show, which will take place from May 8-10 at the Orange County Convention Center, in Orlando Florida. According to Marianne Delaney, public relations for GLM, last year’s “Global Connections” was a division of the New York Home Textiles show, but this year Global Home Textiles will be a “stand alone show.” Wholesalers, importers, distributors, buying offices and product development teams from more than 30 countries are expected to attend. For exhibitors and attendees, GLM will also host a full-day pre-show conference on May 7, informing them about how to successfully do business in the U.S. and how to maximize participation in trade shows. There is also a golf outing and an opening night party planned at the convention center as well as a variety of special services being offered to show participants including special buyer lounges, networking events, an onsite spa and prize drawings. F&FI

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Spring 2007 ■ F&FI

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F& FI I N D O O R / O U T D O O R

Hancock Sees Its Outdoor Fabric Category Heating Up Retailer Sees P/Kaufmann, Waverly, Among Others Leading the Pack by AnnMarie Marano

ALDWYN, Mississippi — According to Kathleen Kennedy, senior vice president marketing and advertising with Hancock Fabrics, the retailer expects a continued sales growth in outdoor fabrics in 2007. “It’s been an important category for Hancock Fabrics but it has increased substantially in popularity in the past three to four years,” Kennedy said. Hancock operates 403 stores in 40 states and also has their online store at www.hancockfabrics.com.

“We offer fashion and decorating textiles, needlecraft supplies, sewing machines and sewing accessories.” They sell home accents as well as custom upholstered furniture, outdoor furniture, “the right foam for outdoor

products,” fabric protectants, such as UV and water repellants and a wide range of utility fabrics like burlap and canvas. “We’re much more geared to someone doing their own home decorating project.”

Kennedy said they’ve seen a “growing trend in people decorating their outdoor spaces in a similar way as their indoor spaces.” Customers are decorating their patios for seasonal use or example. “Our top performing outdoor fabric vendors for 2006 were Waverly Fabrics, Premier Fabrics, P/Kaufmann, JohnWolf Fabrics, VIP and Q/F Industries. Bright stripes and tropical prints have been our top selling designs. Geometrics did not sell as well. For spring 2007, we have added more stripes, tropical prints and a few tweed looks to our outdoor fabric collection. We have also included fabrics from some new vendors such as Maco and the Robert Allen Group.” Kennedy said they are also seeing outdoor fabrics being used indoors, such as for window treat-

ments. “They are designed to take a lot of abuse, so they’re perfect for those applications. As far as design goes, they really refresh and brighten up a room. The traditional stripe sells but these fun and different designs are also doing well. One of our best sellers is a fabric with brightly colored flip-flops on it.” “Our buyers get a lot of information about what we need from our store management teams. They attend trade shows and look at all kinds of industry publications and take note of what is going on in the general world of fashion.” They are also seeing a growing trend in customers buying fashion fabrics and using them outdoors for special occasions, she says. “So there’s a lot of creativity going on. Our customers constantly amaze me.” F&FI

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Shuford’s Davis Puts Arms Around Outdura®’s Growing Business business. “We were selling lint rollers and we decided to put the smell of ‘Bounce®’ in the roller. Licensing can be a powerful ingredient in any business,” said Davis, who rules out nothing in competing with other casual fabric producers. “We’re investing in our business to become the outdoor fabric supplier of choice,” he said. He comes to his post with 20 plus years of experience in the packaged goods industry, with previous positions at Pepsi, Frito Lay, Kraft Industries and Armstrong World Industries. His most recent position was as a principal in a leverage buyout firm. He makes it clear that his goal is to surpass Sunbrella® and be the number one firm in the casual fabric business. “At the September 2006 Casual Furniture Market in Chicago, 50 percent of the man-

ufacturers showed our top sellers in jacquards and dobbies. Important customers from Agio to Meadowcraft featured our open lines. Outdura also won an Adex Gold Award (Award for Design Excellence) for Urban Essentials collection for 2006 to give an indication of our design progress.” “Our typical fabric is an 8 ounce per yard cloth designed for furniture applications but we also have a 9 1/4 ounce grade for marine use. All of our fabrics are thoroughly tested by outside laboratories. Five years ago, our business was 80 percent marine and 20 percent casual furniture while today, it is the reverse. We do 30 percent marine and 70 percent casual furniture.” “Part of our success is having the kind of partner we have in Kelheim Fibres, the manufacturer of Dolan® solution dyed

acrylic fibers used exclusively in Outdura. Dolan is the largest producer of solution dyed acrylic fibers with Montefibre of Italy and Aksa of Turkey as number two and three. Dolan is the premier fiber in this business and we have this fiber on an exclusive basis in the USA.” “It’s not easy to make solution dyed acrylic fibers. There are contamination issues in what is a sensitive production process. The process must be managed tightly.” “Solution dyed acrylic is not a business for Chinese suppliers. Furthermore, the high end producers of casual furniture are still located in and around Hickory, N.C., close to our home base. We expect to do some export in the future since we’re getting interest from Central and South America and Australia. You won’t see our label at Costco. It’s strictly for fur-

Shuford Partner Klenheim Promises Big Dolan Fiber Breakthough Sipco News Network

FRANKFURT, Germany — “Kelheim is working on a technological breakthrough that will affect Dolan solution dyed acrylic fiber in the next six months that will give Shuford a significant advantage over the competition,” said Sylvia Ebel, business manager, textile specialties, Kelheim Fibres. Kelheim is driven by technology in what it sees as a significant growth opportunity. “Awnings are a no growth business for us but furniture fabrics are growing at about five percent a year,” Ebel said. “Although we’re based in Germany, solution dyed fibers are better suited for the American casual furniture mar-

ket and provide a much higher level of performance than anything we use in Europe,” she said. Kelheim is privately owned by Ecqui Fibres of Krefeld, Germany. “In Europe, we still use cotton fabrics for garden furniture. Our main business is the awning industry and here we use solution dyed acrylic worldwide.” Shuford cemented its deal as the exclusive buyer of Dolan in the USA about 18 months ago, Ebel says. “We are 100 percent specialized in this business whereas our competitors are in commodities.”

Sylvia Ebel

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niture specialty retailers who buy from the best furniture manufacturers and high end jobbers.” “We’re willing to do specials. We are dealing with jobbers like Kravet who want something different. We’re preparing our 2009 sample books at this time which feature our 40 colors of plains which is growing but at a slower rate than jacquards and dobbies.” Davis says as much as 60 percent of his business is still plains but this is changing. “We’ve tripled our dobby and jacquard designs in the past two years either in house or through commission weavers. We’ve gone from 70 sku’s to 800 sku’s in the past three years. This would affect the average producer’s ability to cope but we handle it just fine. We also guarantee continuity of the sku for three years minimum.” Davis says that Outdura is putting on a second and third jacquard line and a Suzuki sample warper was added in the first quarter in order to generate new design ideas for customers. “These moves have already given our customers increased confidence in Shuford. The buyer now has a real choice among fabric suppliers because there is more than one great supplier in this business.” It was just five years ago that Shuford was a major producer of greige goods which it actively sold to pfp producers. “We don’t really want to be in the griege or any commodity textile business and prefer to concentrate on finished Outdura fabrics.”

Natalie Scott In the past 12 months, Outdura sold off its acrylic yarn spinning division to its previous president in order to further focus on casual fabrics. “We are no longer in the yarn business,” Davis points out. In other moves, Shuford has strengthened its management team with the promotion of two managers, Jeff Jimison and Rebecca ‘’Becky’’ Lane. Also, Natalie Scott has joined Shuford in the newly created position of vice president of customer development, casual furniture. She’ll be working closely with manufacturers, jobbers and key customers to increase Outdura’s brand visibility in the casual furniture arena. Scott was previously with Cone Jacquard, serving as their national sales manager for residential fabrics. Jimison is a 10year veteran of Shuford Mills and has been promoted to vice president of sales. He previously served as director of sales and marketing, Outdura brand. In his new role, he will focus on increasing the Shuford Mills/Outdura presence in the marine and awning segments. F&FI

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Trevira Targets North American Market with Two New Brands Trevira FR, NFPA 701 Extend Brand Recognition Sipco News Network

RANKFURT, Germany — Trevira launched two new brands into the North American market last year — Trevira FR and Trevira NFPA 701. New collections and lines are currently being developed by several customers.

Dr. Ulrich Girrbach

“We are working with several yarn manufacturers (spinners and texturizers) in the US. In the meantime, we also have renowned weaving partners — Bentex, Bloomsburg, Copland, Interface Fabrics and Johnston Industries who guarantee the supply with fabrics for the US market. Our business here is growing and we are looking forward to 2007 with considerable optimism,” Dr. Ulrich Girrbach, head of marketing and sales/hometextiles and

technical at Trevira, had said as 2006 came to a close. “We embraced the offering of Trevira NFPA 701 because of our belief in brand identity and the positive aspects that brand identity brings with it,” said Larry Hulighan, vice president of marketing for Copland Industries, based in Burlington, North Carolina. Hulighan said Copland chose to work with Trevira because of the integrity and quality their customers associate with the Trevira brand. They’ve run the product, tested it and certified it and found no problem with adapting the Trevira yarn in their system.

“The logistics in making it available to us has been quite adequate.” Trish Philips, director of design and development for Johnston Textiles agrees. Johnston is in the process of converting from Avora to Trevira FR. She said she appreciated Trevira’s push with the brand into the states and feels that Avora is headed in the opposite direction. Johnston is developing a 100 percent Trevira FR line for cubicle curtains and upholstery for their customer, Standard Textiles. Trevira FR and NFPA 701 will meet all the relevant fire standards for the hospitality, healthcare and contract markets with the exception of the cruise market in the US. “With Trevira FR we complement our product offering of flame resistant yarns in the USA with a tailor made product for the US market. The difference between Trevira CS and Trevira FR is a lower modification of the

EXHIBITORS A+A DESIGN STUDIO srl - Milano - Italy AL OVER snc - Como - Italy ALVISI&ALVISI - Como - Italy ANTOINETTE ET FREDDY - Montpellier - France ARTCOTTAGE - Leicester - U.K. BENEDICTE DE FRONDEVILLE - Cruscades - France BRUCKERT CREATION sarl - Lyon - France CACHEMIRE ET FLEURS - Lyon - France CREETEX sarl - Lyon - France DESIGN SPACE KAZE - Kyoto - Japan EURODESSIN snc - Milano - Italy FARO DISEGNI srl - Como - Italy FRANCESCO ORTENZI DISEGNI snc - Como - Italy GILBEY & CHEYNE STUDIO - London - U.K. HARGITTAI DISEGNI ITALIA SAS - Como - Italy HOFF-DESIGN GMBH - Krefeld - D IL MELOGRANO DISEGNI - Castellana Va - Italy ILENE DANCHIG - New York - U.S.A. LINK 7 M&M GMBH - Dorn Birn - Austria MARTINI DESIGN - Fiuggi - Italy SAMPIETRO CARLO DISEGNI - Como - Italy SB CREATION - Paris - France STUDIO ILYZIA - Cernobbio (Co) - Italy STUDIO SETTE - Busto Arsizio (Va) - Italy STUDIO TUCANO srl - Como - Italy VALMIR PUATO - Como - Italy WISH LIST CONTEMPORARY STYLING - Stockport - U.K.

Piazza Risorgimento (on the lake) Cernobbio Italy opening time 9,30 am - 6,30 pm

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Trevira CS fabrics

flame resistant component in the fiber molecule so it can be offered at a more competitive price. Trevira FR will meet the relevant textile fire standards for home textiles in the USA such as the NFPA 701 fire standard which will be the basis for the homologation procedure,” Girrbach said. “Trevira CS will continue to be the premium product which meets all worldwide international fire safety standards including those for cruise ships and the transport sector. Trevira FR products close a gap in the product portfolio and are aimed at end uses for furnishing fabrics in the USA which do not have to fulfill the demands of Trevira CS. All Trevira products are safe however. They differ in their reaction to artificial test set ups as they exist in fire test standards around the world.” “We shall increase our marketing efforts to push our three brands for flame-resistant home textiles forward,” Girrbach said. “We are confident that there is still a great potential for these fabrics in the US market.” F&FI

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Scoperta Introduces ‘Made in Europe’ Accreditation Sipco News Network

ILAN, Italy — The Scoperta Steering committee has created the “Made in Europe” accreditation scheme in order to raise buyer awareness regarding the quantity and quality of interior textile products being manufactured within the European Union. There will be a ‘Made in Europe’ labeling system, making all the products awarded the accreditation instantly recognizable on the exhibitors’ stands. “We created the Made in

S C O P E R TA COMPANY NAME Alexandra Srl Annabel NV Antea srl Tessili per l’Arredamento c/o Comoexport Antecuir S.L. Anteprima srl Art Novel Textile GmbH ARTPLAST SUNI DERI Audejas Joint-Stock Company Aurim Spa c/o Comoexport Aydin Tekstil Ticaret ve Pazarlama A.S b & m fabrics Baco’s Bambu Textil S.L. Beirlaen Textiles Biopel Italia Boelaert & Moens SPRL Broderi Narin Islemeli Kumas San AS Brunotte GmbH Stoffdruckerei BSL Fortune Ltd. Burkay Tekstil San. Ve Tic A .S Ca.Gi srl Caironi Carlo & C. SRL CARTEX ITALIA Clerion Consorzio Comoexport CUVE Srl Defoor Jozef NV Dicitex Furnishings PVT Ltd Dilhan Tekstil AS Epengle Tekstil Endüstri Ve Tic A.S Er-Fun Tekstil Sanayi ve Ticaret Ltd. Sti. Eurotex GmbH Fayteks Tekstil Turizm Otom San. ve Dis. Tic. Ltd. Sti. Flocktex Industries Ltd Fortissimo Textiles GmbH Fratelli Morelli S.p.A Furnitex Fabrics GmbH & Co . KG Gemini Padana srl Gittel - Prestige GmbH Gittel Triagwerke GmbH Globe (India) Ltd Grandness Co., Ltd. Greatex Mills Inc Gruppo Carillo Gruppo Mastrotto S.p.A Gurle Suni Deri A.S Hijos de Antonio Ferre S.A. Höpke Möbelstoff-Handels GmbH Ilith - Import of upholstery fabrics and curtains Ltd Interfabrics S.L Interweaving S.A. JJ Exporters Ltd

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Europe scheme in response to the growing demand in authentic European products. Although buyers are now looking further afield to purchase their ranges, they still like to make the majority of their purchases based on European manufacturing. This gives them the confidence in the quality of the product and post sales support. The accreditation system will allow them to see, at a glance, the products which are made in Europe and be able to make their purchasing decisions based on them,” said Bill Davis,

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principal of Trade Link Ltd., show organizers. In other news, the wallcoverings sector will also be present at Scoperta for the first time. F&FI

E X H I B I T O R S

COUNTRY STAND Italy D14 Belgium C7 Italy Spain Italy Germany Turkey Lithuania Italy Turkey Belgium Italy Spain Belgium Italy Belgium Turkey Germany India Turkey Italy Italy Italy Italy Italy Italy Belgium India Turkey Turkey Turkey Germany

C15 D29 E27 C5 F3 C3 E33 B16 D7 E12 A10 B26 B3 D7 G19 B29 G33 G15 B3 E8 E23 D33 E32 B9 A6 F19 C10 A16 G31

Turkey Israel Germany Italy Germany Italy Germany Germany India Thailand Canada Italy Italy Turkey Spain Germany

B34 B13 C33 G1 D3 F31 C8 C8 F1 E7 C5 F15 F35 B25 E24 D1

Israel Spain Belgium India

B23 D29 C7 B15

L I S T

COMPANY NAME COUNTRY STAND José Bartual Castellets S.L. Spain E4 KETS Tekstil Turizm Ticaret As Turkey B5 Leotex NETHERLANDS C27 Linea Maison Collection Srl c/o Comoexport Italy E11 Manifattura Tessile Nice SRL c/o Comoexport Italy D13 Mario Sezzano srl Italy F4 Marsteks Tekstil Sam. Tic. A.S. Turkey D6 Marteks Turkey E29 Matisse Decoration France B19 MD Intertrade Holding Group Co Ltd Thailand E7 Microfibres Belgium C9 Mollino GmbH Germany B7 Movelta NV Belgium A2 Muvantex Belgium E1 Nephila SRL Italy F23 Oaktrees Ltd. United Kingdom C5 Olgiflex Srl Italy D4 ON-EM Tekstil Turkey F27 Passamaneria Italiana SpA Italy F11 Passamanerie Piovano Luigi & C. Snc Italy G2 Peter Moeller eK Germany C1 PinTail International BV Netherlands E19 Plastibert & Co NV Belgium B26 Ricamificio Pacchiega & C. SNC Italy D15 Richter AS Denmark B1 Rioma SA Spain B21 Romain Maes BVBA Belgium D9 Sahinler Tekstil Urunleri Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S. Turkey F36 Saiatex srl Italy E34 San Leucio Fabrics Italy F8 San Leucio Passamanerie Srl Italy F8 Sedac Textiles Belgium B26 Silktex Ltd India D23 Spandauer Velours GmbH & Co KG Germany C29 TA LI s.r.l. Italy D18 Tave di Rossini S.r.l c/o Comoexport Italy C22 Tavelmo NV Belgium A2 Tessilberica Srl Italy E2 Tessilstampa S.n.c. c/o Comoexport Italy D27 Tessiride s.r.l. Italy D10 Tessitura Fumagalli Carlo e Figli Italy C26 Tessitura. Rosatex Snc c/o Comoexport Italy D26 Tex-Ind SPA Italy C35 Textum GmbH Germany D19 Tissat International NV Belgium C4 Trame srl Italy D14 ulusoy tekstil Turkey G4 Universal Overseas Ltd India F2 Universal Textile Mills India E3 Van Neder J. & S. NV Belgium B26 Vancraeynest G.G.M. nv Belgium B26 Waesland NV Belgium A2 Wintex Srl c/o Comoexport Italy E15 Wonder SRL Italy D22 Correct as of 3/8/07. Subject to change.

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P/Kaufmann Turns 50 Ron Kaufmann Reflects on Company Started by his Father by Eric Schneider

EW YORK, New York—“The biggest change in the home fabrics business has been the rise of globalization, making it easier to source worldwide to the point where both Kaufmann and its customers sometimes buy

from the same sources,” said Ron Kaufmann, president, P/Kaufmann Inc. However, he says the business is still driven by design and service regardless of the fabric source. “Our biggest department at Kaufmann is the design department which easily employs 50 people.” P/Kaufmann is considered by many industry observers to be one of the largest home fabrics converters in the world today if not the largest one. Ron cites a handful of customers who have made a commit-

Peter Kaufmann, founder ment to grow with Kaufmann as partners; these include Fabricut, Pindler & Pindler, Duralee and Kravet. “It takes a lot of entrepreneurial spirit, energy and vision to start a

business,” Ron pointed out. While it may be his company’s 50th anniversary year in business April 1, he defers to his father as the reason why the company exists. “It’s really his anniversary as well as the company he founded. We just got on the bus.” “I am pleased with what we’ve done and with the people we’ve brought into the company started by my father.” Peter started his company April 1, 1957 as an importer of fabric from Belgium and Germany and grew it from there until he passed away in 2004. “It takes a unique person like my father or someone like Fred Richman who started Richloom or

Irwin Ginsburg—who started Anju Woodridge— to make this business successful.” “This is a small industry and getting smaller,” Ron confirmed. Over the years, P/Kaufmann has made its share of acquisitions including Anju Woodridge, Bloomcraft, Western Textiles, Clarence House and most recently, the acquisition of the licensing rights to produce Waverly fabrics and home fashions. “This last deal involved a major investment in existing design and executive staff brought over from Waverly,” Kaufmann explained. “We have taken new space on the 28th floor of 3 Park Avenue (company headquarters). These new offices will be open June 1. This includes the original design studio headed by Pam Maffei who was design director at Waverly and senior executives like Tom Leahy and

“T

he biggest change in the home fabrics business has been the rise of globalization, making it easier to source worldwide.

”

Dan Bonini have also joined us in the Waverly division.” “My father created a corporate culture that allows people to do what they do best and recognizes them from a financial and nonfinancial standpoint.” P/Kaufmann has several divisions today with a total of 400 employees. These divisions include Braemore and P/Kaufmann converted open lines of residential fabrics; P/Kaufmann Contract which Kaufmann says has great growth potential; Folia, which produces the Ralph Lauren Home Fashions line; Clarence House, the high-end decorative wholesaler; P/Kaufmann Outdoor Fabrics; Bloomcraft Home. P/Kaufmann also owns a print plant in Bennettsville, S.C., with two rotary screen printers which Ron says “is the best printer of its size in the USA today producing 2,000 yard runs, mostly for the internal use of Kaufmann.” We have never aggressively gone after outside customers for Bennettsville. Our business was print dominated 10-12 years ago but now wovens are dominating our business. Prints are not as easy to sell as they were in the 90’s but there are swings in fashion and prints will be more popular—but not like they were before.” Printers Alley is the name of P/Kaufmann’s four retail stores in the South which sell all Kaufmann products as well as other fabric, furniture and home furnishings from other suppliers. F&FI

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Hunter Douglas Introduces Skyline® Gliding Window Panels New Category Shows Promise for This Window Covering Giant Sipco News Network

RANKFURT, Germany — Skyline® Gliding Window panels have been introduced by Hunter Douglas Window Fashions as a niche category through its Alliance dealer network according to Ron Rubinoff, vice president and general manager of the company. The product is said to be an upgraded version over anything else out there but it is competitively priced, he says. It was shown to dealers in New York on Jan. 26 and to dealers in Chicago on Feb. 9, for the first time. It will first be marketed to the residential market first and a contract launch will follow through Hunter Douglas Hospitality, this summer, he stated. While Rubinoff provides

direction to the contract division, contract product is marketed separately by the company through Hunter Douglas Hospitality, which also includes Richmond Fabrics of Chicago. Hunter Douglas, with window covering sales at the $2 billion level, is the largest manufacturer of window coverings in the world, Rubinoff states. “There are existing producers of panel tracks but no major brands,” Rubinoff contended about the new product and “we want to make it a major category for the first time.” The gliding window panels featuring the Skyline brand was originally designed for urban living and has a sleek, uncluttered and urban design feel to it, Rubinoff states. Skyline can be used for room dividers or can stand alone with over-treatments. “It has now become a mainstream product,” he said. Initially, the new product will be sold through its 1,200 window fashion galleries and showcase

Jules Clarysse Utilizes Fairtrade Cotton for Towel Production Belgian Mill Takes Social Action to the Next Level by AnnMarie Marano

ITTEM, Belgium — Jules Clarysse NV has become the first Belgian bath towel manufacturer to purchase Fairtrade certified cotton and use it in their lines, says Tom Bonte,

“Camouflage in the city” color scheme sales manager. The Fairtrade Max Havelaar label was founded in the 1980s in order to assist growers in impoverished areas where growths are suffering. The Fairtrade products — whether it be cotton, fruits or vegetables, coffee, rice — have to be held up to certain standards. Therefore, growers receive a fixed price which sits a little higher than standard market price. The premium is then invested in things such as schooling or water

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purification for the affected area of the world, according to Bonte. Bonte says that Jules Clarysse Fairtrade cotton products run at an approximately 15 percent higher cost. He said the company started marketing them mid2006 to some retailers in France, Belgium, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. The products account for about five percent of the mill’s total turnover at this point and their goal is to reach 10 percent. Bonte said the mill is also staying ahead of the game by working with the Belgian office of a fashion trend analyst agency called “Fashion Information,” who leads them in the right direction as far as colors go. With their help and the work of the Jules Clarysse five person design team, they have come up with six color themes for the Fairtrade certified cotton range: “intriguing shadows,” “fruitful attractions,” “camouflage in the city,” “candy shop bubblegum,” “solarisation” and “tranquility.” “Based on those themes, we are a little further ahead than others in design and color.” “We try to bring fashion into the bath,” Bonte said, “which is succeeding. It’s different and new for the customers but they are coming to us for forecasts.” F&FI

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dealers in the USA and outside the USA in Europe and Latin America by the summer, he said. “This is a new category for Hunter Douglas. It features unique hardware with a sleek headrail that is more functional and produces a more uniform appearance,” he added. Hunter Douglas will offer new fabrics for Skyline featuring sheers in semi opaque, and opaque styles; grasscloths, natural’s semi-sheers and color coordinated designer fabrics. There are 187 fabrics including prints, dobbies and jacquards, for a “more polished and finished look,” he said. The fabrics are sourced in the USA, Asia and Europe. F&FI

Cole Wallpaper Fortune Changes Hip Market Buys Wallpaper Once Again Sipco News Network

ONDON, UK — While the bottom-end of the wallpaper business with nil margins for the manufacturer has become a loss leader for major retailers, the highend market is alive and prospering

Anthony Evans according to Anthony Evans, the owner of Cole & Son Wallpapers Ltd., here. “Coles has multiplied its sales of hand-blocked and screened wallpapers six times since we purchased it with partners in October, 2000 from Walker Greenbank,” Evans said. Coles was founded in 1873. “It took us two years to reinvent our wallpaper collections in the art deco genre but by doing so, we found a younger audience out there who liked our products,” he said. “When Coles showed its sexy, amusing, different, young and fun wallcoverings for the first time at 100% Design in 2002 at Earles Court, we walked away with 600 new accounts. We discovered that until that time, nobody knew who we were,” he laughs. “For the first time, we tapped the 27-40-year-old market for our products.” F&FI

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Maison & Objet Gains Ground, Draws in Top Fabric Editeurs Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, England and also the USA. There is hardly an important name in the upper-end of the interior fabric industry missing in Paris. Very few direct competitors will be showing in Frankfurt. From my personal point of view this is unfortunate (because Germany is an important market for us) but it is reality today.” Christian Fischbacher

Christian Fischbacher did not have a stand for their interior fabrics at this year’s Heimtextil. Their stand was dedicated strictly to their bed linen. Philippe Baumann, CEO of Création Baumann and fourth generation owner of the company, agreed that Maison & Objet has developed into the most important fair for the editeurs in launching their new collections. Création Baumann was present in the edi-

teurs section at Maison & Objet in January. He also agreed that the upper market has deserted Heimtextil to show at Maison & Objet. “Some years ago, most of the important editeurs were exposing at Heimtextil. When the economic situation in 2002 was bad, we decided to invest in other, more ‘direct to the customer’ oriented communication tools. Also the behavior of the visitors of the fair has changed. In the past, we sold many samples to the customers — something which was not the case at this time.” He said Maison & Objet gave them the opportunity to have a

Pierre Frey new presence in the marketplace. “Heimtextil was not able to attract us with a good concept for a new presence. The Maison & Objet filled this hole with a good concept.” Pierre Frey of Pierre Frey, Paris-based fabric wholesaler, said the size and diversity of Maison & Objet is also to their advantage, as Pierre Frey has worked hard to develop more of a “global concept.” While fabrics is still their main business, they have a huge collection of accessories, furniture and other elements that can coordinate. Frey will move to New York in April to work out of the Pierre Frey showroom in the D&D building in Manhattan as a VP sales manager. “The global concept is really developing. Now we sell the accessories and furniture to retail, the final clients.” According to Frey, Pierre Frey was the first editeur to exhibit at Maison & Objet 10 years ago. “Then one by one they followed,” he said of the others. “There was Biennale which took place in the Grand Palais in Paris. It was really impressive because the place was so beautiful and amazing,” he explained. But once the Grand Palais had to undergo construction, Biennale was moved outside of Paris.

Diete Hansl-Röntgen Frey says Maison & Objet is popular because of its location, which is more attractive than Frankfurt for those coming from Dubai for example. “Now of course it is the main fair for fabrics.” He said it is “the fair that has the most value,” is the most “upscale” and the most well organized regarding transportation and accomodations. “Heimtextil is still a very important fair for visitors from all over (continued on page 23)

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Valdese Increases U.S. Capacity here, says Michael Shelton, Valdese’s president and CEO. “Valdese Weavers is very fortunate to have been able to consistently grow our business, and experience a 14 percent growth rate in 2006. The expansion is the result of increasing our business with better-end furniture manufacturers in the States which still buy locally and our increasing business with jobbers and contract specialists who want quick service,” Shelton said. The new facility, its third in the Valdese area, will house all finish-

ing operations and the Valdese International Products brand. The company will begin its move in May, install new finishing equipment in June and will be fully operational by January 2008. Valdese Weavers’ main headquarters, design center and primary weaving operations are located in a 275,000-square-foot plant; a 125,000-square-foot facility built in 1996, will become the primary yarn preparation facility. “After a very deliberate evaluation of opportunities to either expand globally or to other areas

domestically, we have chosen to make this commitment to grow our business in Valdese, where we have a 72-year heritage.” The expansion was made possible by financial incentives provided by North Carolina government agencies Burke County and the Town of Valdese. Valdese Weavers is a designer, marketer and manufacturer of textile products for use in the residential and contract markets. The company has three facilities and approximately 621 associates in Valdese, N.C. F&FI

Escofin Takes Over Bekaert, Finalizes Depoortere Deal Sipco News Network

GOOIGEM, Belgium — On Jan. 18 of this year, Bekaert Textiles and Escofin, the parent company of Escolys Textiles, signed an agreement saying that Escofin would take over Bekaert Decoration Textiles, a producer of furnishings and upholstery and a professional hospitality supplier, for approximately nine million euros. The division will first be called Bekaert Interior Textiles (BIT), until 2010 when Escofin’s right to use the Bekaert name in any combination other than “Bekaert Wall Textiles” will have expired. The takeover, which began to take effect in early January, has specific regard to Bekaert Textiles’ work with interior textiles. They have turned over the activities in the curtain division under the trade name, “Saint Hubert,” which will deliver plain and jacquard curtain fabrics on a one piece basis from stock. The turnover also involves the activities of Bekaert Wall Textiles, (a woven product for wall covering). Also included in the turnover is Bekaert Textiles’ flame

retardant fabric for the contract market. In related news, Escofin’s takeover of Depoortere Freres, a manufacturer of plain upholstery fabrics, has been completed. The

takeover involved a settlement of outstanding social security payments, a negotiation of debt remission by suppliers and contribution of 4 million euros for social restructuring. F&FI

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Maison & Objet Gains Ground the world,” said Diete HanslRöntgen, principal of Nya Nordiska Textiles, GMBH. “Maybe the Frankfurt fair did not succeed in offering an exclusive ambience for first-class textile editeurs. This topic is handled with a lot of emotion, she said.” “The fair costs and additional expenses which have tremendously increased (in Paris as well as Frankfurt) play a major role for many companies when deciding whether to attend both trade fairs or only one of them.” Nya Nordiska has exhibited at Maison & Objet since 2005. They have however exhibited at Biennale, another important French show since its conception in 1980.

“All in all, the ambience of Biennale was more exclusive concerning the presentation as well as the choice of location,” Hansl-Röntgen said. “Regarding its extent and location, Maison & Objet acts more or less as a business-oriented fair.” Pierre Frey had a small stand at Maison & Objet, where guests were directed to their new showroom on the Rue du Mail. “First, we wanted to be present at the fair, but we also wanted to attract our clients to the new showroom,” Frey said. “Next year we don’t know,” he said. “We’ll go year by year but we will always have at the least a small stand (at Maison & Objet). We can’t not be there.” F&FI

Wesley Mancini Unveils Valdese and Westgate Collections Sipco News Network

EW YORK, New York — Textile designer Wesley Mancini debuted two new collections within the past few months — one for Valdese Weavers

and the other for Westgate, entitled Westgate Couture. Valdese celebrated this addition at the Bryant Park Hotel in December. Mancini will be launching two residential lines per year for Valdese (spring and fall).

A long term agreement was signed by Valdese and Mancini in the summer of 2006. Westgate introduced their new Westgate Couture by Wesley Mancini line in February at their showroom on Fifth Avenue. F&FI

Jennifer Shelton, marketing assistant and Michael Shelton, president, Valdese Weavers at the Bryant Park Hotel; Right: Gary Stein and David Li, Westgate, with Mancini (center)

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ANYTHING GOES

COMING TO AMERICA

NEW PURCHASE

Kevin O’Connor and brother Jim take their digital imaging company, Enhancea-Colour, into the hospitality arena.

Senior manager at Robert Allen, Kelly Buchanan talks about their work with German hardware line, Blome.

Hunter Douglas North America CEO Marv Hopkins announces the acquisition of 3form.

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HOTEL OF THE FUTURE | The Next Generation of Guestrooms In this year’s Hotel of the Future story, we focused in on the guestroom and the evolution of some of the product categories within. The three industry experts we spoke to told us how their product has developed over the years and how they foresee simplicity and conservation leading the design directive in guestrooms from now on. by AnnMarie Marano

RIARCLIFF MANOR, New York — According to Scott Jones, director of sales and operations for ELA Lighting, function and energy conservation will direct the guestroom in the years to come. “I think it will be a much smarter room,” he said. “There will be one single switch that turns everything off. Energy consumption is going to play a huge role – lighting will go more to performance rather than decorative.” Tom Healy, founder of Spark Modern Fires, agreed that integration will be the name of the game. “I see more automation,” he said. He foresees one switch as well, “integrating heating, cooling, music — fire features integrated where perhaps the fireplace shines in the room but also heats the water in that particular unit to absorb some of the excess heat that it’s throwing off.” Spark Modern Fires is a young

company, launched in 2005 at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair. Healy, previously a custom home builder in Connecticut, is used to staying one step ahead of the game. “I was looking for a cleaner aesthetic (in gas fireplaces) that I just couldn’t find in the marketplace.

So I decided to make my own.” He says the products they came up with spoke to a more modern and clean shape and design. “The industry seems to be moving toward creating more escapist environments.” By nature, Spark Modern Fires adds

LIGHTING | Dimming Gets Personal Lutron Announces New Products That Allow Customized Lighting Control

Spark’s standard two-sided fire ribbon

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The “Zip” and the “GRAFIK Eye GS” will be intended for hospitality settings. They will be shown at Lightfair and the International Contemporary

Furniture Fair, both in May at New York’s Javits Convention Center. While Zip is only the workingname for one of Lutron’s newest products, Eric Lind, director of commercial marketing, said Lutron likes the name, which was

by Kelly Hushin

EW YORK, New York — The 46-year-old company, Lutron Electronics, Inc., has designed its two latest products to cater to large or small settings that seek personalized and unique lighting experiences.

chosen for its effective description of the up and down motion users will implement to operate the device. The touch-operated dimmer is the first of its kind and is an advanced take on Lutron’s “NovaT,” a sliding-switch dimmer that gained popularity for its sleek look that many architects didn’t mind placing in a room. Zip is the lighting industry’s first touch-operated dimmer, using a strip of white, blue or green colored LED’s as its (Continued on page 34)

Eric Lind, director of commercial marketing and Jeremy Nearhoof, senior design and development engineer

TEXTILES | Robert Allen Contract Expands on their Room Service Program

Inside Contract/ Hospitality News

by Kelly Hushin

Room Service offers full fabrication and customization capabilities

NEW YORK, New York — First introduced at last year’s HD Expo in Las Vegas and set to show again this year as fully developed, “Room Service,” is one of the latest endeavors for Robert Allen Contract. Since its debut showing last year, teams have been working to make Room Service an offering that can facilitate the involved process of sourcing for hospitality. “We want to make it easy for them (our customers),” said Karen Keating, operating vice president for fabric design at the Robert Allen Group. “Room Service was developed as a way to offer top of bed items and anything special or above and beyond typical bedding items. We want to make it as clean a transition from development to final product as possible.” The baseline for Room Service includes nine white fabrics — eight patterns and one solid — that currently are stocked and sold by the piece. All nine fabrics are 100 percent polyester and withstood rigorous laundering and testing before being marketed to consumers. “The basic line appeals to the trend of the clean, white bed, but it’s not limited to white, that’s just the base of what we offer,” said (Continued on page 28) Keating. The solid

TEXTILES: CMI Introduces Nanocide™ Coating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

FURNITURE: UK’s Connection Pushes Suburban Brand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31

LIGHTING: Lutron Takes Technology to New Levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34

FLOOR COVERING: Enhance-A-Colour Expands on Flooring and Wallcoverings . . . . . . . .38

HARDWARE: Marriott Signs Agreement with Onity Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41

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The Future of Guestrooms to those types of rooms as they are more serene and visually quiet pieces that add more beauty rather than function and heat to a room. According to Healy, they are already 10 years ahead of the competition. After attending HD Boutique in Miami, he says they found they were ahead of a trend in fireplaces being more of an aesthetic piece, rather than a generator of heat. On the other side of the spectrum, ELA Lighting has been in existence since 1929 and Jones has been with the company since 1986. The company has seen trends, styles and finishes come and go — and then come back again. “We started out providing lighting for the movie set industry.” Jones says their real start into hospitality was “when it was called ‘gambling’ instead of ‘gaming’,” during the 1950s in Vegas. Twenty years ago, he says crystal was very popular and then through the early 90s, “things became very thematic.” “We would make fixtures that looked more ‘Mardi Gras’ or ‘Carnival,’ instead of using more traditional crystal and brass.” Now, the traditional is marrying art deco and contemporary concepts, he says. “The line is somewhat cyclical. Trends will come and go, but we usually go back to them. Right now, we are coming back to the late 30s and 40s design era but with the finishes of the late 50s and 60s, such as nickel, chrome and a lot of white glass.” So what does the future hold for lighting?: “I’d like to say everyone will own a hovercraft, but that’s just not realistic. I’d also like to say that you’re going to start seeing a lot more modern pieces but I truly believe we’ll come back to the more traditional crystal elements. We usually just come back to what we’re secure with.” Guestroom lights will remain the same size in the future he says, but there will be fewer within the room. “The room will be much more functional. It is going to be a very difficult task for designers to make a very functional room seem ‘homey.’ And I think that is what they are going to have to face.” “The style and function has changed, but now the feature piece has moved toward the headboard area because the beds are taller, so the headboards are taller. There is more fabric being

One of AOM’s “Flamingo® Las Vegas” room in Harrah’s used on the headboard, and lights being incorporated,” said Rick Evans, vice president of sales and marketing for American of Martinsville, a 101-year-old furniture supplier. Near the TV chest are contemporary desks and many are even attached to the TV chest area. Some swivel so you can watch TV. The desk can also be moved around the room for either meetings or even room service.”

“So if you look at where the room has been, where it is now and where it is going, the furniture is on the move, literally.” Evans sees electronic elements of the room being incorporated into the furniture more in the future. He also sees different types of materials being used, such as stone, marble and granite being used on the top of the furniture; more nickel and chrome as well as tempered glass. F&FI

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Robert Allen Contract Expands their Menu white fabric in the line, called Lance, is being dyed and stocked now, and they are piece dying the other fabrics to test what works. Room Service encourages a three-step process where customers select the item, the fabric and the style and then the Robert Allen Contract staff “makes it happen.” “Room Service is about customizing to meet the customer’s needs and special tailoring to meet their needs,” said Keating. Karen Keating, operating vice president, fabric design

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“It allows us to weave and fabricate and attack a product in all sorts of ways.” “We’re taking designs and recreating them within contract specifications,” said Keating. “Some places might need the fabric to be machine washable; others dry-cleaned; some need flame retardant fabrics. We can derive a design from something that exists in our line or we can make it from scratch. We’re giving them a lot of tools and then developing on their project need basis.” “We have a full design studio with CAD and board artists who paint, so our customers are encouraged to come in and design-develop with us,” said Keating. As for pricing, Keating says Room Service is in tune with where the market needs to be for big jobs. “It’s designed to appeal to any hospitality market.” (for the complete version of this story, please see www.fandfi.com) F&FI

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CMI Unveils Nanocide™ Contract Coated Fabrics Company Targets Healthcare and Hospitality Sipco News Network

LKHART, Indiana — CMI Enterprises has introduced ‘Dimensions,’ the first product in a line of coated fabrics featuring Nanocide™ antimicrobial proprietary technology that is said to be permanently embedded into the surface of the coated product during the finishing process. “Our business model is built around going to market with items that are either aesthetically very different or technically very different from what anyone else offers,” said Michael Jobe, vice president of sales and marketing for CMI. Jobe sees a $10 million market between the healthcare and fitness markets alone. “Nanocide solves a very significant problem in the healthcare and hospitality industries and is more environmentally friendly than other biocides now on the market,” he said. “We want to offer something either technically or aesthetically different. We want to distinguish our coated fabric lines from inexpensive products made in Asia; all of our products are made in South America where the quality and technology is superior to what is offered from Asia,” Jobe pointed out. All of CMI’s future products for the contract industry will include Nanocide. “Some of our products introduced in the past five years will be re-released with Nanocide because it’s what the world wants today. The growth of products featuring Nanocide depends on how conscious the owners become about health in those markets. Nanocide kills mildew and mold. We have already introduced Nanocide in the marine and cruise ship industry markets with great success,” Jobe said. The price of Dimensions is in the $13 range in 20 colors. Jobe says it is a coated product with an interesting texture. “Within one year, CMI will have 160 sku’s in the line, 40 colors with 4 designs. It is environmentally friendly and is not harmful to humans or pets. Furthermore, Nanocide won’t leak out of the fabric or be washed away for the life of the product like arsenic-based products on the market,” he said. CMI has an onsite development lab in Indiana in its 70,000-square-

Spring 2007 ■ F&FI

foot warehouse with its own inhouse chemist. “We do all of our tech development here and transfer the technology to the plant in South America. We are a value added supplier. Nanocide is permanent and will have the same microbial effectiveness 10 years from now as it does today. We have outside testing to prove our claims and they are available to

the specifier,” Jobe added. Nanocide is now awaiting patent approval and registered trademark status created for healthcare upholstery and also for healthcare ultra comfort bedding. Designers are also specifying it for restaurants. The Nanocide finish is specially geared to kill E-coli and salmonella, both very common to food environments.

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The other unexpected crossover lies in the fitness industry. They look at Nanocide as a way to keep fitness facilities free of staph germs, the same as hospitals have. This

product will also end up in many exercise rooms in the hotel industry as well as free standing fitness centers. “We’re also marketing it for urban transit systems.” F&FI

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Advanced Digital Textiles Uses One-of-a-Kind Machine Company Applying Digital Printing on Extra Wide Fabrics Sipco News Network

ONROE, North Carolina — Nicholas Del Verme, V.P., Advanced Digital Textiles (ADT) is taking his father’s company, Master Screen South, into the modern age with a digital printing machine that is capable of taking a TIFF file and printing it on fabric. And they’re doing it on extrawide 132 inch fabric. This means

little to no seaming for digitally printed designs, or even photographs, on fabrics like silk, polyester, nylon and cotton. According to Del Verme, “The machine is a one-of-a-kind. It’s custom made and a first at this width with these capabilities, at this production speed,” he said. “Digital is removing all converting printing problems. So that’s where it’s a huge attraction for our customers,” he said. Del Verme feels that there is a big market for their on-demand printing services in the contract/hospitality industry where they are able to print anything from flags to bedspreads.

Del Verme’s father, Attilio, first started his company 35 years ago, and pioneered laser engraving in the textile industry. “We pre-treat steam, wash, dry, finish, fabric in house. We have resources for post treatments,” he said. According to Del Verme, ADT will soon have flame retardants, softeners, repellants, and moisture management. “We can accommodate performance fabric for hospitality people to be able to withstand the wear and tear of hospitality. We believe this is something that’s going to shock this industry,” he said. F&FI

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Epengle Rides Transportation Business to New Heights capacity is 2.4 million meters. According to Dogan, the methods of testing for transportation fabrics are more or less the same, but the requirements are much higher. Fabric on a train, for example, needs to last at least five to six years. “It has to be really strong and of course FR treated or you have to use natural fibers which can fulfill all these requirements and that is mostly wool. Wool is the best you can use when speaking of natural fibers, or Trevira.” And on that note, Dogan reported that Epengle plans to do yarn-dyed Trevira CS velvets to be unveiled, hopefully, at this year’s Scoperta. “This is the first time that someone is going to do that,” he said of the yarn-dyed Trevira CS velvets. “Because it’s too expensive. Everybody is buying a roll in white and they are just making piece dyed.” Epengle’s transportation customers stretch from Estonia, down to South Africa, from Japan and across the Pacific to the US and include high profile names such as Mercedes Benz. “This is something where you need experience,” he said of the transportation business. “We have experience for 20 years with this kind of fabric. We know everybody in the world — all customers.” “We are very strong in the transportation business — buses, coaches, trains. I think we are one of the first five leading companies in the world market, especially

with the capacity.” But it’s not easy to stay ahead of the white hot velvet market. “It’s velvets, velvets everywhere,” Dogan says with a laugh. “They’re fast,” he said of his competitors. But Epengle is planning to stay ahead of the race by expanding on their already strong presence in transportation fabrics and continually developing new qualities and products, Dogan says. “Lurex®, what we placed in Epengle can produce coordinating wallcoverings with upholstery

the market at the last Scoperta for the very first time, I saw everywhere in Heimtextil,” he said. “Last year, everyone was saying it’s too Oriental and this year, everyone is using it. It’s interesting.” Epengle was the first velvet mill in Turkey, founded in 1961. After starting with loop pile velvets, they changed to cut velvet in the 1980s.

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“Velvet is a different fabric. It’s slow. It’s not like you have the Dornier looms where you can produce between 250 to 300 meters a day. The maximum you can get (with velvets) is 200, maybe 220 in three shifts, over 24 hours — which we are doing at the moment.” “I think we are really competing with the Chinese with the prices. If we are speaking about woven velvets and not knitted velvets.” For woven velvets, Dogan asserts that the Chinese have a price range of 10 to 12 dollars for polyester. “Our equal quality is around eight to nine dollars.” “We export to more than 80 countries for the furniture and transportation business combined.” Europe is their largest market with Italy and Holland leading the pack. Their best seller is acrylic plain velvets. Dogan is optimistic and looking forward to the years ahead. “It’s becoming very interesting,” he said of the changing times and trends in both trade shows and velvets alike. He cites Scoperta in Milan as a show growing in popularity. “It’s becoming every year, better and better — especially last year when it moved to Milan. I could say I had my best Scoperta last year.” “It’s a big circle. Now it (velvet) has come back.” After three to four years, he predicts the masses will move toward printing. Epengle plans to do printed velvets for next year. F&FI

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DarrenChad Furniture Launches at High Point Sipco News Network

TLANTA, Georgia — Darren Godbee and Chad Welch, of the interior design firm Darren’s Designs, have launched DarrenChad Furniture with the help of their partner, Thomasville, North Carolinabased, Tomlinson/Erwin-Lambeth. “They approached us wanting to expand their line and bring in a fresh approach,” said Welch. DarrenChad’s collection is intended for residential environments, as most of their interior design clients are home owners, however, they’re starting to look toward bigger opportunities. These include contract and hospitality applications and international expansion in places like Russia and Dubai.

“Our furniture is definitely filling a void in the market for larger scale furnishings,” said Welch. “One of the sofas that we introduced has a split in the back of the piece, so they can float in the middle of the room. They’re interesting from the back as well as the front.” “There is a large circular settee that would be good for hotel environments,” he added. DarrenChad focuses on details.

Medusa Bench They like to add a little something extra, like Tempurpedic foam to a daybed and crystal vases in the center of one of their circular settees. “With our spring collection, we’re showing some of the pieces again but lighter, without the ornamentation. We’re also introducing some contemporary pieces as well,” said Godbee. F&FI

Connection Ltd. Launches Suburban™ Brand Furniture Sipco News Network

ONDON, UK — Office furniture manufacturer Connection Ltd. has launched Suburban, a new branded collection of contemporary furniture. Jonathan Wood, the brand’s manager, says they are hoping to take the brand into the contract and hospitality markets by April. “Suburban products are made from the very best components,” he said. “These components are brought together at production units in the UK and Europe, thus ensuring the highest quality craftsmanship and upholstery.” Parent company Connection has been designing and manufacturing office furniture for more than 10 years. “Our company has grown very quickly over the past few years to become one of the leading brands in what is an extremely demanding and competitive market. Success has been achieved through an understanding of what customers need and want and ultimately what customers buy,” said Jonathan Hill, managing director of Connection. They see the Suburban line as a natural progression for the company into the home and hospitality sector. F&FI

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Lutron Revamps the Dimmer touch-operated “switch.” The reason the LED strip works is because it is long enough for people to visually understand where their lighting decision will be when they touch the strip, said Jeremy Nearhoof, senior design and development engineer. “We try to look at lighting control not just as functional but as part of the room,” said Nearhoof,

who worked closely on Zip production. “Every time you come into a room you’re going to interact with a light switch or dimmer.” Because of that, Zip was designed using ideas that put consumer satisfaction before scientific sensibility, hence creating a premiumpriced product. “The box behind the control strip is much smaller than the con-

trol really is,” explained Nearhoof. “While it would be better for the strip to be shorter, we know humans are only so precise with their hands, so we made the touch control strip longer,” he said. Along with The GRAFIK Eye GS has up to six programmable zones and various preset options; Zip Dimmer

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advanced technology and effort, Nearhoof called Zip an “emotional product.” As well as being the first touchoperated dimmer, the Zip will also double as a nightlight since the LED’s continue to glow even after the operator has set the lights. The architectural line for the Zip will launch with nine different colored face plates and nine metal faceplates. “We think it’s an attractive product and we think people will want to use it in a featured way,” said David Bennet, communications quality director for Lutron. For those seeking integration in larger spaces via dimmer systems, Lutron also announced the launching of a 20th-Anniversary edition of the GRAFIK Eye, the GRAFIK Eye GS. The new configuration is an improvement upon the first system which launched in 1987 and has been upgraded so that each property owner can adapt the system to his or her needs. With larger buttons and labels that can either be engraved at the factory or changed by the user with a button kit of stick-on labels, the user now has more options for customization. Some of the label options in the button kit include “Morning,” “Afternoon,” “Dinner,” and “Favorite,” as well as simple number settings for less specificity. Another feature of the GRAFIK Eye GS is its ability to seamlessly control window shades without additional interfaces; a feature which they will specifically market toward hotels. “One of the fastest growing segments of our industry is window treatments,” said Lind. “People have not been exposed to power through window treatments and they are finding an interest in motorizing windows in hotels.” Bennet agreed, noting that, “The hotel room is where many of us actually care the most about our windows.” Lutron will be ready to take orders for the GRAFIK Eye GS in mid-March. F&FI

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Enhance a Colour Gives Techno Boost to Floors Digital Imaging Could See New Life in Hospitality by Kelly Hushin

ANBURY, Connecticut — Enhance a Colour, a unique manufacturer of digital images and displays for floor and wall-coverings, is slowly beginning to test the

waters of the hospitality market. “We’re not sure how our product will be received,” said Jim O’Connor, co-owner of Enhance a Colour, with his brother, Kevin O’Connor. “That’s why we want to go to HD Boutique.” The two owners think that their digital printing capabilities will be useful to hotels on small and large scales. “What’s good about our digital imaging on wall-coverings and flooring is that hotels can order as

little as one or as many as hundreds,” said Kevin O’Connor. In early 2006, Kevin O’Connor said that about 90 percent of the company’s business had come from fabrics and 10 percent had come from carpeting. But that has recently shifted since the company began using the VUTEk FabriVu super-wide printer from EFI. Since then they found that their digital printing capabilities on carpeting have set their company

apart from any competition. Enhance a Colour can now produce three levels of carpeting. The top, high-grade level is stain-resistant, mildew-resistant and can be wall-to-wall. The middle grade is more for office environments and is good for two or three years. The last is a promotional grade, which has a rubber backing and is primarily for temporary or single usage. “The carpet industry can inject 24 true colors into a carpet but

Jim O’Connor, Kevin O’Connor, co-owners, Enhance a Colour they can’t print a picture onto a carpet like we can,” said Jim O’Connor. Through their style of digital imaging, “the ink becomes part of the fiber fabric, as long as the fabric is polysynthetic,” said Jim O’Connor. The printing is done using a specialized heat press which applies inks to standard carpeting at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. At such high temperatures, the inks become a gas that is embedded into the carpet fibers. With other forms of digital printing, Kevin and Jim O’Connor said that images cannot endure washing or wear-and-tear because the ink is applied on top of the fibers. “The advantage we give is that one has the ability to do custom carpeting, drapes, and fabric and it is all machine washable and dryable,” said Kevin O’Connor. Kevin O’Connor also said that hotel owners would be interested in their digital image printing capabilities for branding purposes. Because Enhance a Colour can digitally print images on virtually any kind of material, they find that architects and designers often need help with ideas of where to begin. For that, they created the “Idea Book,” to help get people oriented to Enhance a Colour’s capabilities. The Idea Book prints the same image throughout on a number of different substrates. Enhance a Colour’s 35,000square-foot plant manufactures anything from special events promotions, museum graphics, fabric banners, vehicle graphics and wraps, creative interior environments, retail displays and much more. They also print on unique surfaces like plexi-glass, Formica and aluminum and have the ability to do all the finishings in-house. F&FI

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Spring 2007 ■ F&FI

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Robert Allen Brings New Blome Collections to U.S. German Drapery Hardware Injects Modern Flare Into Robert Allen by Kelly Hushin

EW YORK, New York — Designers no longer have to look outside the U.S. for the strikingly modern and cutting-edge

Kelly Buchanan, senior manager, merchandising drapery hardware and trim German drapery hardware, Blome. The Robert Allen Group announced last November that it was joining forces with Blome, and now the company has introduced 13 new collections that are offered in the U.S. exclusively through Robert Allen. Blome, a part of the B&C International group, was

founded in 1976 and is renowned in the industry for its contemporary drapery hardware designs and limitless customizing capabilities. While the partnership was announced in late 2006, Robert Allen is still getting the word out for those designers (many of their own customers) who had previously sought European locations for Blome designs. Robert Allen will be ready to release another set of drapery

hardware options from Blome by early summer. Offered in their next release will be a wooden “Shanghai” line with customizable tassels for the finials and rings. They will also offer a collection that uses Swarovski crystals on the finials, brackets and rings. At the same time, Robert Allen will be ready to introduce a line being designed by Michael Graves, a collection using Murano glass for the finials and another collection called, “Rialto,” a more classic Robert Allen look, said Kelly Buchanan, senior manager of merchandising, drapery hardware and trim at Robert Allen. “The Blome brand had a great reputation in the past in the U.S., but it wasn’t effectively distributed,” said Andy Pacuk, senior vice president for product design and merchandising at Robert Allen. “We thought that the Blome line represented a unique high-styled drapery hardware concept for the window.” “Amber” comes in wenge wood or lighter walnut wood

Operating vice president of public relations, Jolie Cross Cohen, said that the company felt the need for more modern styles since their drapery hardware tended to be more traditional. Buchanan said the union will allow Robert Allen to expand their customer-base to “people who appreciate the engineering, and contract customers who appreciate customization.” “It is expanding our ability to become a one-stop-shopping area for both drapery and hardware,” she said. The 13 new Blome collections can be customized with various finials, brackets, rod sizes and tiebacks. “Robert Allen is the only place in the U.S., UK and Canada to offer these,” said Buchanan. Included in the 13 new collections are “amber,” (a wooden, Asian-inspired look), “modulo,” (meaning modular, the look is contemporary and easily interchanged with its various assortment of finials and brackets) “gloria” (a more classic, wooden look) and several others which incorporate metal, wood and acrylic materials. F&FI

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Onity and Marriott Lock it Up Onity Makes Deal With Marriott International, Inc. Sipco News Network

ORCROSS, Georgia — Marriott International, which has hotel destinations all over the world, announced that it will now source its locking solutions from

Onity (formerly TESA Entry Systems, Inc.), a provider of integrated electronic locking systems to countries all over the world. The decision was part of a deal which will make Onity a preferred supplier to Marriott properties through the end of 2008. With ambitious expansion plans, Marriott anticipates adding between 85,000-100,000 hotel rooms worldwide by 2009, over 30,000 of those to be outside

North America. Their decision to make Onity a locking solution partner was made after an evaluation and negotiation with Onity’s EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Asia) regional headquarters in Spain. Borja Ibarrondo, key account manager EMEA for Onity, said Onity locks

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the company is committed to meet and exceed Marriott’s expectations for service and growth. Onity, which has installed over three million locks worldwide, is also part of UTC Fire & Security, a safety and security solutions provider to more than a million customers headquartered in Connecticut. F&FI

SteamSuite Hits Hotel Industry Sipco News Network

IMI VALLEY, California — SteamSuite, a newly launched company with Jari Ristola, president, at the helm plans to bring the trendy in-room spa concept up a notch for health-conscious travelers with a combination shower/steam room. The equipment will be offered directly to the hotel industry. The SteamSuite equipment will also offer guests the opportunity to steam their garments. According to the company, rooms equipped with Steam Suite equipment typically carry an up-charge and have a higher occupancy rate than unequipped rooms. “You push the button and in a couple minutes you have your clothes wrinkle-free and ready to go. And you save instead of wasting gallons of hot water, so that’s a huge financial saving for a hotel. They’re the top of rooms that get booked first. They’re always the most desirable room.” According to Ristola, the product is compromised of state-of-the-art equipment. “We’re going to have the generator, which does four rooms, control systems, steam heads for the regular rooms, but if they want to go to upgraded types of steam suites, they could get music, lighting, radio a whole host of things that may be used in upper-scale suites.” The generators distribution center can also be installed up to 50 pipe feet from the shower, which allows for greater options for placement. The SteamSuite requires moisture-proof walls and ceiling and a vapor-proof door to seal in the steam and keep mirrors fog-free. F&FI

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Family, Friends and Associates Gather for the

Kravet Holiday Party LONG ISLAND, New Yorkâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Approximately 400 people attended the annual Kravet holiday party, held at the Crest Hollow Country Club. Party-goers drank, danced and celebrated the holidays in style. Here are a few shots of the action.

Designers Michael Weiss and Wesley Mancini

Roger Berkley, Weave, Mike Shelton, Valdese Weavers, Rocco Simone, Sunbury

Jack Eger, Craftex mills, Zack Taylor and wife Beth, Valdese Weavers, Nick Chmil, Circa 1801, Bob and Terry Blum, Craftex Mills

Liz Karp, vice president of sales and marketing, Weave Corp, Arnie Grodman, Kravet Contract

Scott Kravet with Nick Lomangino, new vice president of Kravet floorcovering division and wife Louise

Antoinette Ardizzone, Kravet Contract, Mary Ellen Walsh, vice president, Kravet furniture, Jon Gregory, director of merchandising, Lee Jofa

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Gil Tavares, Quaker with partner Lori Rosa

Spring 2007 â&#x2013; F&FI

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F& FI P H O T O G A L L E R Y

Home and Contract Textiles Come Together

at Heimtextil 2007 FRANKFURT, Germany — Messe Frankfurt started the new year off with a bang as more than 89,000 visitors attended Heimtextil from Jan. 10 to 13. “For the first time in years, the atmosphere at the Heimtextil is buoyant. Our exhibitors confirm that visitor quality is high and that there has been a significant increase in orders placed,” said Detlef Braun, member of the board of management for Messe Frankfurt. The fair also implemented a “contract creations” section for the first time this year. Here are a few pictures from the fair and surrounding events.

Jens Asmann, Key Account Manager, Paradies, Ines Chucholowius, General Manager, Textination, Jeffrey Ornstein, Principal, J/Brice Design, Daniel McKinnon, Vice-President, Messe Frankfurt USA

John Wilman, chairman, John Sebastian Designs, Alberto Riva, managing director and Richard Riva, member of the board, B&B Distribuzione, Rebecca Parkes, export and designer sales manager for Blue Mountain Wallcoverings

Thierry Delbeke of the Delbeke Linen Mill in Belgium with Rieta Romner, creative director of Zimmer+Rohde

Robert Karpacz, director of Polder Radjer, distributor from Warcka, Poland and partner Wiestov Derkecz (right) and Rajnish Arora, principal of Dicitex Furnishings, Mumbai, India.

Vikram Tantia, managing director of Globe Ltd., Calcutta, India with Orlondo Vigano, agent; Mr. Giunta of Papillon, Sicily; his daughter Miss Giunta and Miss Gabriella, partner.

Dan Scott, VP design, Blue Mountain Wallcoverings with Maria Li, GM, Beijing Gingko Limited

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Detlef Braun, Messe Frankfurt, Donata Ihling, owner, Alfred Apelt; Gunnar Frank, trend analyst

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F& FI G L O B A L M A R K E T P L A C E

Advertiser Index

AIR & OCEAN FREIGHT FORWARDING WORLDWIDE

For more information about one of our advertisers, see the page number listed: Company

Page #

Company

Page #

AOM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34

Invista/Avora . . . . . . . . . . . . .48

Broderi Narin . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Kravet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Comocrea International . . . .18

Marsteks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

Croscill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47

Masters of Linen . . . . . . . . . .35

Dicitex Decor . . . . . . . . .11, 13

Messe Frankfurt Atlanta . . . .40

Dicitex Furnishings . . . . . . . .39

Nippon Interiors . . . . . . . . . .29

Duralee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-7

Proposte . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

Edgar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-3

Richloom . . . . . . . . . . . . .24-25

Epengle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

Rockland . . . . . . . . . . . . .14-15

Escolys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-5

Shuford Mills . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

Express Air Freight . . . . . . . .45

Shuford Mills . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

Gasser Chair . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Surtex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

Global Home Textiles . . . . . .44

Tessilforum . . . . . . . . . . . .36-37

High Five . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43

Textirama/Decosit . . . . . . . . .27

Ilith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45, 46

Townsend Leather . . . . . . . .38

Integra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32-33

Tradelink . . . . . . . . . . .8, 30, 31

Intertextile Shanghai . . . . . . .41

Valdese . . . . . . . . . . . .19, 21, 23

Contract/HospitalityNews Hunter Douglas Buys 3form Window Coverings Leaders Acquire Architectural Innovators Sipco News Network

PPER SADDLE RIVER, New Jersey — Hunter Douglas, the window covering and architectural product manu-

facturer, has just announced its most recent brand acquisition — 3form — adding to the 166 companies The Hunter Douglas Group already has under its wing. The Salt Lake City-based manufacturer of translucent resin panels and architectural solutions, 3form, had $48 million in sales last year, with 310 employees. “The acquisition of 3form strengthens our position in architectural products worldwide. The company will continue to operate independently, under its own brand name,” said Marv Hopkins, President and CEO of Hunter Douglas North America. F&FI

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W a n t e d

Seeking independent sales representatives for performance oriented upholstery, drapery and top-of-the-bed textiles. Must be familiar with Jobber/Distributor markets and have experience with Cruise Line specifications and requirements. Several territories available. Send resume via e-mail to: fsams@northstate.net ADVERTISEMENT

Nachik by Ilith

ollowing the innovative launch at Scoperta last year of the Wild & Glamorous collection, "Nachik by Ilith" intends to unveil its new Heavy Metal collection at the upcoming Scoperta exhibition

in Milan. "Nachik by Ilith" is the export brand of Ilith Ltd. which was founded in 1972 in Tel Aviv, Israel, by the Weberman family. In 2001 the company started to develop new collections which, following their success in Israel, were then exported to a growing customer base around the world. Since then, more collections have been carefully created and these have evolved into a complete line. Mr. Nachik Weberman explains the philosophy behind this operation: "We aim to offer contemporary fabrics at very competitive prices with low minimum orders. Our concept is to develop a complete line which represents the current fashion and incorporate it into various types of fabrics. For example, the last Wild & Glamorous collection took the fashion at the time for chandeliers and glossy paints and interpreted it into fabrics such as film print on linens in order to give a glittery effect and a glossy finish on faux animal skins which was then foil printed on suede. This year the Heavy Metal collection builds on the increasing popularity of a shimmering look and metallic effects which will be implemented into linens, imitation of leather, suede and by making strong use of metallic yarns in the weaves. Alongside the main Heavy Metal collection two additional lines will be presented – Jungle Beat which will offer an innovative animal skin collection and the Blue Velvet collection which offers new cut and plain velvets at very competitive prices. Nachik says "Following the success of the Wild & Glamorous collection export figures have doubled themselves and we are confident that the Heavy Metal collection will help further the growth

Left: 3form product; above: Marv Hopkins;

Spring 2007 ■ F&FI

of this field".

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F& FI C A L E N D A R March

9 NADFD 2nd Annual Cocktail Party

26-1 International Home Furnishings Market

Treasure Island Hotel & Casino Caribbean Room 5:30 - 7:30 pm Contact: NADFD Headquarters Tel: (800)-445-8629 www.nadfd.com In Conjunction with HD 2007 The National Association of Decorative Fabric Distributors focuses on providing education and network opportunity to promote member growth and profitability.

International Home Furnishings Center High Point, North Carolina Contact: International Home Furnishings Center® P.O. Box 828 High Point, NC 27261-0828 210 East Commerce Ave., High Point, NC 27260-5238 Tel: 336-888-3700 Fax: 336-882-1873 Website: www.ihfc.com Over 850 of the world’s leading home furnishings manufacturers choose IHFC® to market their products including 18 of the top 20 largest home furnishings companies.

May 3-5 AIA National Convention and Design Expo Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center San Antonio, TX Tel: 800-AIA-3837 Website: www.aiaconvention.com The American Institute of Architects national convention brings architects and related professionals together to foster innovation and inspiration in design, construction and more.

7-10 K/BIS Las Vegas Convention Center Las Vegas, NV Contact: VNU Expositions 1145 Sanctuary Parkway, Suite 355 Alpharetta, GA 30004 Tel: 800.933.8735 or 770.291.5409 Fax: 770.777.8700 Email: kbiscustomerservice@vnuexpo.com The annual K/BIS event showcases the latest product and design ideas in the kitchen and bath industry

8-11 Scoperta Fiera Milano Milan, Italy Contact: The Trade Link Company Tel: +44 (0) 1285 641 600 Fax: +44 (0) 1285 658 990 E-mail: scoperta@scopertaexpo.it Website: www.scopertaexpo.com Scoperta focuses on upholstery, decoration and curtain fabrics.

9-11 Proposte Villa Erba — Cernobbio Como, Italy Contact: Proposte srl Viale Sarca, 223 - 20126 Milan, Italy Tel: +39 02 6434054 Fax: +39 02 66119130 E-mail: info@propostefair.it A specialized and selective fair, focusing on direct producers of furnishing and curtain fabrics

10-12 HD Expo Sands Convention Center Las Vegas, Nevada Contact: Website: www.hdexpo.com E-mail: hdexpo@showcare.com The 2007 show floor has been expanded to reduce aisle congestion. Over 1,000 exhibitors will be displaying the newest in product and trends.

16-20 Evteks

3-5 The Hotel Show

25-28 HITEC 2007

CNR Expo Istanbul, Turkey Contact: Nadir KAYACAN, director Tel: +90 (212) 465 74 74 Ext: 2312 Fax: +90 (212) 465 74 76/77 E-mail: nadir.kayacan@itfexhibitions.com; nadir@itf-evteks.com Website: www.itf-evteks.com Evteks is considered one of the largest and most important home textile exhibitions in the world. It is a unique source for tulles, curtains, upholstery, bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, linen, floor coverings, wall coverings, technology, raw materials and home accessories.

The Dubai International Exhibition Centre Dubai, U.A.E Contact: dmg world media Dubai Ltd Al Moosa Tower 2, Sheikh Zayed Road, PO Box 33817, Dubai, UAE Tel: +971 (0)4 331 9688 Fax: +971 (0)4 331 2496 Email: gimag@emirates.net.ae; sunita@dmgdubai.ae Website: www.dmgdubai.com The Hotel Show is an essential showcase for hotel, leisure and related products, services and technologies. The 2007 event will occupy seven halls at the Dubai International Exhibition Centre. For local and international suppliers to the hotel, leisure and hospitality industries, The Hotel Show 2007 gives access to a booming region and a growth industry that has no equal. It is the established meeting place for all professionals, specifiers and buyers in the industry.

Orange County Convention Center Orlando, FL Contact: HFTP Global Headquarters 11709 Boulder Lane Suite 110 Austin, TX 78726-1832 USA Tel: (800) 646-4387 Fax: 001 (512) 249-1533 Website: www.hitec.org HITEC 2007 offers top-notch hospitality technology education from industry experts as well as a trade show showcasing the latest products and services from over 300 companies. More than 5,000 participants are expected to attend from hotel companies, hotel and resort properties, clubs, casinos, restaurants and other businesses.

19-22 International Contemporary Furniture Fair Jacob K. Javits Convention Center New York City Contact: George Little Managment Ten Bank Street White Plains, NY 10606-1954 Tel: 914-421-3200 Fax: 914-948-6197 Website: www.icff.com More than 600 exhibitors will display contemporary furniture, seating, carpet and flooring, lighting, outdoor furniture, materials, wall coverings, accessories, textiles, and kitchen and bath for residential and commercial interiors.

June

11 Boutique 18 Event

1-3 Hospitality Match Dubai

Tao: Opium Room, The Venetian Las Vegas, NV 4:30-5:30 p.m. Contact: Rebecca Goldberg Sipco Publications & Events 1133 Pleasantville Road Briarcliff Manor, NY 10510 Tel: 914-923-0616, ext. 11 Fax: 914-923-0018 E-mail: dbarak@sipco.net Website: www.sipco.net This invitation-only event brings together this year’s Boutique 18: The Designer’s of the Next Generation. The event, produced by Boutique Design magazine, is sponsored by InterfaceFLOR and ELA Lighting.

Park Hyatt Dubai Contact: Deen Barak Sipco Publications & Events 1133 Pleasantville Road Briarcliff Manor, NY 10510 Tel: 914-923-0616, ext. 19 Fax: 914-923-0018 E-mail: dbarak@sipco.net Website: www.sipco.net HMI is a new and innovative way of conducting business. Invited, qualified buyers are matched with high-end FF&E suppliers through a one-to-one meeting format. There’s no wasted time and effort as with a traditional booth and aisle show and the meetings are guaranteed. Over one weekend, you will develop outstanding relationships that would normally take a lifetime to achieve.

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3-6 Showtime High Point, North Carolina Contact: Website: www.itma-showtime.com Tel: 336-885-6842 E-mail: itmashowtime@northstate.net International Textile Market Association’s High Point Semi-Annual Fabric Market. ITMA brings all segments of the home furnishings industry together, offering the most thorough fabric presentations in the western hemisphere.

11-13 NeoCon The Merchandise Mart Chicago, Illinois Contact: Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc. Suite 470, The Merchandise Mart Chicago, IL 60654 800/677-6278 Executive Management Mark Falanga, Senior Vice President Tel: 312-527-7685 Fax: 312-379-6116 NeoCon is the annual platform for the best in commercial interior design. Attendees can find thousands of new and cutting-edge products, the latest knowledge and trends in the industry and the opportunity to network with thousands of industry peers and fellow professionals.

July 30-3 Las Vegas Market World Market Center Las Vegas, Nevada Contact: World Market Center Las Vegas 495 S Grand Central Parkway Las Vegas, NV 89106 Tel: 702-599-WMC1 (9621) Fax: 702-599-WMC2 (9622) Market is a host to 530 permanent showrooms in two world-class buildings with more than 2.9 million square feet. In addition, there are nearly half a million square feet of temporary exhibits at the Pavilions and Cashman Center. Tenants and exhibitors are among the leading and most innovative manufacturers in the industry.

August 29-31 Intertextile Shanghai Home Shanghai New International Expo Centre 2345 Long Yang Road Pudong Area Shanghai, China 201204 Contact: Ms Wilmet Shea - Trade Fair Manager Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd., Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2238 9967 Fax: (852) 2598 8771 E-Mail: wilmet.shea@hongkong.messefrankfurt.com Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles is China’s most comprehensive and international fair for the interior fabric industry.

Spring 2007 ■ F&FI

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